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Exploring disorder and complexity in the cryptocurrency space

Author

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  • Stosic, Darko
  • Stosic, Dusan
  • Ludermir, Teresa B.
  • Stosic, Tatijana

Abstract

Digital assets termed cryptocurrencies are creating new paradigms for financial transactions as well as alternative means of capital. Despite their increasing relevance in financial situations, a complete understanding of the entire system remains lacking. Here the cryptocurrency market is treated as a complex system and analyzed using methods from statistical physics. The complexity–entropy causality plane (or CH plane) is employed in order to explore disorder and complexity in the space of cryptocurrencies. They are found to exist on distinct planar locations in the representation space, ranging from structured to stochastic-like behavior. The temporal trajectories of entropy and statistical complexity of prices vary drastically with position along the plane. Lastly cryptocurrencies appear to be characterized by ordinal patterns that represent strictly decreasing or increasing trends in price. The present analysis expands the understanding of and helps to quantify varying degrees of complexity in cryptocurrencies.

Suggested Citation

  • Stosic, Darko & Stosic, Dusan & Ludermir, Teresa B. & Stosic, Tatijana, 2019. "Exploring disorder and complexity in the cryptocurrency space," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 525(C), pages 548-556.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:525:y:2019:i:c:p:548-556
    DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2019.03.091
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    4. Bariviera, Aurelio F. & Font-Ferrer, Alejandro & Sorrosal-Forradellas, M. Teresa & Rosso, Osvaldo A., 2019. "An information theory perspective on the informational efficiency of gold price," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
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    6. de Araujo, Fernando Henrique Antunes & Bejan, Lucian & Stosic, Borko & Stosic, Tatijana, 2020. "An analysis of Brazilian agricultural commodities using permutation – information theory quantifiers: The influence of food crisis," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
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    8. Lahmiri, Salim & Bekiros, Stelios, 2020. "Big data analytics using multi-fractal wavelet leaders in high-frequency Bitcoin markets," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
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    10. Nick James & Kevin Chin, 2021. "On the systemic nature of global inflation, its association with equity markets and financial portfolio implications," Papers 2111.11022, arXiv.org, revised Jan 2022.
    11. James, Nick & Menzies, Max & Chan, Jennifer, 2021. "Changes to the extreme and erratic behaviour of cryptocurrencies during COVID-19," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 565(C).
    12. Nick James, 2021. "Dynamics, behaviours, and anomaly persistence in cryptocurrencies and equities surrounding COVID-19," Papers 2101.00576, arXiv.org, revised Feb 2021.
    13. James, Nick & Chin, Kevin, 2022. "On the systemic nature of global inflation, its association with equity markets and financial portfolio implications," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 593(C).
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    15. Nick James & Max Menzies, 2021. "Efficiency of communities and financial markets during the 2020 pandemic," Papers 2104.02318, arXiv.org, revised Jul 2021.
    16. Nick James & Max Menzies, 2021. "Collective correlations, dynamics, and behavioural inconsistencies of the cryptocurrency market over time," Papers 2107.13926, arXiv.org, revised Dec 2021.
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